CycleDog: (n) 1. An all-weather bicyclist, often regarded as one very sick puppy with a bad attitude. 2. A ankle-biting poodle with a Mohawk. (l)Canis
familiaris cyclus

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Cyclists are no better than dogs...

Here's another "cyclist killed by a motorist" story. It pisses me off that a driver can kill someone, claim "I didn't see him", and walk away without any charges. It's almost like he hit a dog, nothing more.

If I walked outside, fired off a round from my .45, and the bullet killed someone in the distance, someone I never saw, do you think the police would accept the "I didn't see him" argument? No harm. No foul. No charges? Hell, no! My sorry ass would be in jail.

This cyclist was hit and killed on a bridge, and as we all know, bridges are known for their curves and undulations. Oh, wait, they're not! They're straight and relatively flat, a perfect place for a cyclist to lurk, waiting to hurl himself in front of an inattentive driver.

A bicyclist crossing the Clark Memorial Bridge was hit and killed by a van yesterday.

George Cronen Jr., 57, of the 2100 block of Gladstone Avenue near Bardstown Road and Tyler Lane, was pronounced dead on the bridge at 4:34 p.m., Jefferson County deputy coroner Larry Carroll said.

Cronen, who was wearing a helmet, hit a steel support girder on the bridge and was thrown from his bike, authorities said.

The accident happened about 3:15 p.m. as the cyclist was traveling south in the right lane and was hit by an older model Ford van, said Lt. Doug Sweeney with the Louisville Metro Police traffic unit.

The driver, whose name was not released by police, told investigators that the cyclist was too close to avoid. "The driver just did not see him until it was too late," Sweeney said.

No charges are expected to be filed, he said.

As required by Kentucky law, the driver's blood will be tested for traces of drugs or alcohol. But Sweeney said police do not suspect alcohol was a factor. During the investigation, the bridge was closed in both directions.

Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081. Reporter Charlie White contributed to this story.